Personal computers and other electronic computing devices are fast becoming commonplace items in many home environments. This is primarily due to the decreasing cost of computer processors and memory. Many home computer users equip their personal computers with software applications and hardware that allow them to communicate with the outside world, organize their activities, obtain information, and conduct transactions with service providers. Some home computer users also have facsimile machines, which allow them to send and receive faxes, and optical scanners, which allow them to scan printed documents and store the scanned images on their personal computers or some other removable magnetic memory for subsequent use. Many of the personal computers currently found in home environments are desktop computers. These desktop computers are typically bulky and are located in an office or study room within the home. Because desktop computers are typically not readily accessible when needed, home users are now buying laptop computers which can be moved around the home more easily than desktop computers. Mobile electronic computing devices which perform specific functions such as information management and connection to the Internet are also finding their way into many homes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,875 issued to Haitani et al. discloses a palmtop computer system which allows a user to perform personal informational management tasks. As shown in FIG. 1, the palmtop computer system 2 includes a screen display area 4 and a user input area 6. The screen display area 4 is used for displaying information to a user. The user input area 6 is used to input text in a writing area 8 and to interact with application buttons 10. The screen display area 4 and the user input area 6 are covered with a touch sensitive digitizer pad that can detect user interaction with a stylus or finger. Below the user input area 6 are mechanical buttons 14-28. The mechanical button 14 turns the palmtop computer system 2 on or off. The mechanical buttons 18-24 display a calendar application, an address book application, a To-do list application, and a note pad application, respectively. The mechanical buttons 26-28 provide scrolling functions for the screen display area. Information can be uploaded to and downloaded from the palmtop computer system 2 through a serial interface connector (not shown) at the rear end of the palmtop computer system 2.
Unlike desktop and notebook computers, the palmtop computer system 2 does not require an extensive xe2x80x9cboot-upxe2x80x9d session and, therefore, provides quick access to information. The palmtop computer system 2 is primarily used for managing personal information such as address books and for scheduling activities. There are other portable electronic computing systems besides notebook computers which provide more of the functionalities associated with personal computers. For example, Aqcess Technologies, Inc., provides much of the functionalities of a personal computer in a mobile, lightweight, clipboard-sized workstation sold under the trademark Qbe (pronounced xe2x80x9ccubexe2x80x9d). RSC provides a pad-like computer system, sold under the trademark WebPAD, that allows wireless connection to the Internet. Qubit Technology provides another portable computer system, sold under the trademark Qubit, that allows wireless connection to the Internet. Because these portable devices do not integrate many of the functions required by home users, a home user looking for easy accessibility to information and service providers and the ability to organize activities and communicate quickly with the outside world will have to buy a number of electronic gadgets, each performing one or more specific functions.
Some home appliances are starting to have many of the functions described above built into them. The idea is that these appliances can be located in a natural place for much of the activities in the home, thus decreasing the need for portable personal computing devices. For example, Electrolux recently introduced a smart refrigerator, called ScreenFridge, which has a computer, a liquid-crystal-display (LCD) touch screen, and a bar code scanner built into one of its doors. The barcode scanner can swipe a barcode on an item and add the item to a digital shopping list, which can then be sent to a supermarket of choice using a telephone modem. Household members can send and receive email messages or surf the Internet. The refrigerator is equipped with speakers, a microphone, and a small video camera so as to allow one household member to leave video messages for another household member. All the functions of the ScreenFridge are available through the LCD touch screen and a virtual keyboard. The computer and LCD touch screen are integrated with the refrigerator and are, therefore, not portable.
In one aspect, the invention is an integrated information appliance which comprises a central processing unit for executing an action in response to a user request, a storage for storing information for use by the central processing unit in responding to the user request, and a cradle having a scanning device for scanning an image and storing the scanned image in the storage. The integrated information appliance further includes an information pad which is removably mounted on the cradle. The information pad comprises a screen display for displaying information to a user and for receiving information and requests from the user and a plurality of application buttons for sending a request to the central processing unit to perform a specific action.
In some embodiments, the integrated information appliance includes a phone base station which communicates with the central processing unit and a phone which receives communication signals from the phone base station. In some embodiments, the integrated information appliance includes a network connection means for converting information from the appliance to a form suitable for transportation over a network. In some embodiments, the integrated information appliance includes a printer which is connected to receive print requests from the central processing unit.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.